To Save The Ones You Love
by Dissidia180
Summary: When Hiccup is captured, Astrid will do anything to save to him. However, she'll need some help from some unexpected allies if she's to save the one she loves.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm back! Posting from a kindle, so any weird mistakes, please feel free to point them out. I thought I might fill the gap between the hiatus of The Runaway 2 with this. You're welcome!_

A chill breeze drifting through his hair. The bite of bitter snowflakes upon his wrists, his hands, his face. The rock and sway of flight. The warm heat of a dragon's body rising up through his own. The soft leather of the saddle. The warmth of his thick, heavy boot. Hiccup was registering everything one thing at a time. In fact, he was barely conscious as he and his dragon flew through the clouds. Not because of the cold, or the heat, or the altitude, or an injury. He was simply dozing away the long flight to the clan meeting.

Toothless was quite aware of his rider's lazy state, but wasn't concerned with keeping him awake, or with bothering him. His feet were firmly in the stirrups, keeping his tail in its position, and he couldn't ask for more. The Night Fury simply kept his head straight out and let the southerly wind carry him on, his wide, leathery wings stretched out at his sides, legs tucked up neatly beneath him.

The Dragon cast a glance below. The hard ground was coated in a layer of cold, wet and very deep snow, glimmering like piles of jewels heaped on hillsides and clinging to sea stacks. They passed over the edge of yet another unexplored land, then high up above a bank of thick cloud, and Toothless wondered whether his rider might want to get out the map and try to chart it, but he knew that the young man was keen to catch up on the copious amounts of sleep he had been losing lately thanks to a shortage of food and a single restless villager stirring up trouble all around the town of Berk. Toothless himself wouldn't have minded putting down somewhere for a little cat-nap himself, but he knew that his chance to sleep would come when the meeting began and Hiccup disappeared for a few hours.

After the meeting itself, there was a great feast, and then people turned in for the night at will, some sleeping well into the morning, others staying up until the early hours. Although Hiccup would have liked to travel back during the night, he had decided with Astrid that it would be rude not to accept the hospitality that was offered to him. Therefore, it had come to be that he would leave early tomorrow and she would share the workload of running the village with his mother, who was always happy to help out when needed. Thus finally, with a little time to himself, he readily dropped into the open arms of sleep as soon as he had the chance. He didn't regret it at all. In fact, he was rather enjoying it, so much so that he didn't bother to drag himself up as a strange, sulpherous smell hit his nostrils and was determined not to rise, even though it was beginning to break the veil of sleep around him.

It was only when Toothless gave a shrieking cry of alarm that he knew something was wrong. He jolted upright in the saddle, a knot of dread pulling tight in his stomach. A plume of smoke was pushing it's way up above the snow-filled clouds, black as night and dotted with ash. As he watched, a sudden rush of terrible fire streaked through the cloud barrier, a column of flame like a burning beacon. Instantly, he knew that someone, somewhere, needed his help.

"Come on, bud. Time to teach that dragon a lesson. Again."

The Night Fury dived under the low clouds, into the snow and ice and driving rain. His rider squinted through the blanket of white, catching a glimpse of a huge bulk, great thick legs and long claws stamping, a massive set of jaws longer and wider than longboats. A Red Death. Toothless gave a screech, looking back at his rider. Below, Hiccup could see a little town, huddled in the snowstorm, buildings burning and people screaming and shouting and running about in fear. However, he could also see a large band of Vikings with ropes and nets, crowded around the creature's feet, trying to toss them over it's back. Hiccup almost laughed. What on earth were they doing?

He could see the ringleader at the front, shouting, commanding his followers. They managed to get a few ropes around its great maw, but it easily snapped them. A few men ran away, much the the leader's disgust.

"Deserters! Cowards!" The chief heard him scream as Toothless flew closer. The Red Death's tail swept by and knocked every single person off their feet.

"I think we've seen enough, bud." He smirked, patting his dragon's neck. "Let's give them all a hand."

"Carron! We can't win this, we must retreat!" Jax hollered to his leader as the dragon's foot came down meters away. Luckily, the people beneath it threw themselves out of the way in time. Carron himself ran his fingers through his thick black hair and tugged his braided beard. His grey eyes were filled with fury as he turned on his lieutenant.

"We can't give up! We need this dragon! We can't survive without it!"

"Carron, this is not going to work. Give up! Go for a smaller dragon!"

The wide, callous hand struck his high cheekbone with a stinging smack. Jax fell back with a cry, his eyes smarting from the blow. His leader loomed over him angrily. "Don't tell me what to do!" Though he was still a young man, Carron had wrinkles on his brow and rings around his eyes that made him look far older than what he was. His broad shoulders heaved as his deep chest filled and emptied in his anger. The painted lines on his chin where washing away with his sweat. Jax cowered: this man was mad, completely bonkers, but he had so much power. The younger man gulped.

Suddenly, something above the looming man caught his eyes. Eager for any excuse to escape, he pointed quickly. "Hey, look! What is that?"

Carron looked up slowly, a mean snarl curling the corners of his mouth. Above, there was a black shape speeding through the sky. A dragon. As the man watched, it swept in a circle around the Red Death, then dived daringly under its snapping jaws. Then, having caught the creature's attention, it came and landed lightly on the roof. It was then that Carron realised the dragon had a rider. The man stood tall in the creature's stirrups and, with a word, it fired on the Red Death. Its back was alight with a strange blue glow as it shot again and again. The other dragon didn't have a chance to fire as the bolts of strange blue energy struck its face and flanks. Something lit up in Carron's eyes.

"A smaller dragon..."

Hiccup sat tight as Toothless let blast after blast off at the enormous dragon. He had no doubt in his mind at all. They would easily defeat this enemy. After all, hadn't his dragon defeated the great Bewilderbeast? It wasn't long before, overwhelmed, the poor Red Death finally let out a scream and turned to run away. It took wing at the waterline, beating away and away into the driving snowstorm.

"Good job, bud!" Hiccup cried in elation. He then turned, grinning, as the inhabitants of the little village came out of their homes to cheer and applaud. Some threw their arms above their heads, others jumped up and down, and all had great grins plastered on their faces. Hiccup was just beginning to enjoy it when it was suddenly and inexplicably quelled.

In the silence, the leader of the tribe stepped forward, his fair-haired, skinny deputy by his side, looking nervous and frightened and... guilty. Hiccup frowned.

"Thank you! Thank you, sir! You've saved our humble village." The look in his eyes, the edge to his voice told Hiccup that this wasn't a genuine congratulations.

"Yeah," He replied curiously. "What were you doing with that dragon anyway?"

"Times are hard, my mysterious friend. The village needs money for crops and building materials. As you can probably see, that Red Death would have given us a sizable sum of gold from our, shall I say, associate." He scowled, and the man beside him stepped away, shoulders hunched. "We still need money, and now you've driven our catch away."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise." He scowled. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, we still need gold. We can't exactly let you waltz away now, can we? Not when you've got yourself a pretty little Night Fury!" Toothless snarled indignantly. He was magnificent, strong, brave, not pretty. How insulting! Hiccup patted his neck to calm him down.

"I'm the chief of a village nearby. We can help you, trust me. If you need supplies, we'll help."

"No. I'm not dealing with another chief. Who says you'll be true to your word?" He lifted his hand and gave a signal. Hiccup tensed, looking about.

"What are you doing?"

"Only what I have to."

Toothless gave a sharp yelp, springing into the air with surprise. He turned to nibble at his hind leg, his ears pinned back. He felt a sharp pain there, and when he and his rider looked, they saw a little plume of red fur bursting from his scales. Toothless gave a groan, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"Oh no," Hiccup moaned. "No, no, no..."

The Night Fury turned back to the leader, teeth bared, his pupils wavering slits. He gathered himself to pounce down and tear the man apart, but suddenly, he found he couldn't see. Again, he tried shaking his head, giving a little whine and pawing at his face. His tail went limp, smacking into the roof like a dead fish. Hiccup gave a despairing cry as the dragon swayed and stumbled. Toothless' legs finally gave way as Hiccup pulled his prosthetic foot from the modified stirrup, and the man flung himself away as his dragon slid from the roof; a dead weight that crashed down onto the floor, eyes closed, and not moving to catch his rider as he too plummeted from the tiles and onto the hard ground below.

_Yaaay! Enjoy, don't forget to R+R_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm back! Are you glad? Of course are! Here's the second instalment of TSTOYL. No need to thank me, I enjoyed writing it!_

_Guest: He certainly is! Thank you!_

_Jesusfreak: Thank you! Don't worry about not reviewing, I don't really mind. Feel free to review when you want, but I always love to hear from you!_

_Guest: It is indeed! As for surviving college, I just have to do my work in my free time at college._

_YOUR MOTHER: May I start by saying I adore your username! Thanks!_

Hiccup managed to reach across his dragon's saddle and release his Terrible Terror messenger before he felt a sharp prod in the back. Scrambling to his feet, the chief reached for his fire-sword, catching a glimpse of Sharpshot fluttering away over the roofs and off into the heavy snowstorm beyond.

The long weapon slid cleanly from it's holster, the two long, thin blades doused in Monstrous Nightmare saliva. With a spark, the whole thing lit up with bright flame and Hiccup brought the weapon up to meet the sword that Carron was pointing at him threateningly. Taken aback, the leader stumbled, eyes wide, reflecting the flickering light. Hiccup took a careful step back.

"I don't want to fight you, Carron. Put the sword down and we can sort all of this out."

"You're patient, I'll give you that!" The man grinned meanly, swinging his sword in again. Hiccup managed to block, stopping a second and third blow. He glanced back to his dragon, still unconscious behind him.

"Please, stop his fighting. It won't get us anywhere. Why won't you just accept my aid?"

"Because we don't need it! We've never needed it!" There was a strange edge to Carron's voice that made Hiccup's brow crease.

"Carron, please, just listen! Every chief needs help every once in a while, even me. In fact, I rely on others to help me run my village."

"Lies!" The young leader spat into the dirt, bringing his sword up to Hiccup's throat before the man had a chance to react. "People'll say anything to keep their lives, ain't that right?" A few of the crowd behind him snickered quietly.

"Carron!" A voice shouted through the humming hush. A young lady rushed to the front of the crowd, pushing others out of the way. An old man wondered along in her wake, smiling to himself as though he was out for an evening stroll, his thin beard clasped in both hands. The young girl stopped in front of her leader, grabbing his wrist tightly. "Carron, stop! This is wrong! This man saved our village; we can't take his dragon, it's wrong!"

"Shut up, Nags!" Carron threw her off, scowling darkly. However, she persisted.

"This isn't like you. You're not horrid like this, I know you're not! I don't know what's gotten into you, but it's time it got out."

"Go home." He replied without a flicker of emotion. Nags scowled angrily, her eyes blazing, and she turned to those gathered around them.

"Do you honestly support him? Are you gonna let him do this?" Some looked away, others shaking their heads and ignoring her. Only the old man laughed a cheery laugh and patted her shoulder. With a furious growl, she folded her arms.

"My granddaughter is a lovely little girl, isn't she?" The old man's hoarse, broken-voiced comment was not directed at anyone in particular, and, still chuckling at a joke only he understood, he tottered away again. Carron snorted.

"Crazy old man. Someone ought to put him out of his misery."

"He didn't look that unhappy to me," Hiccup shrugged lightly. The leader's gaze snapped back onto him, and instantly, he swung his sword. Hiccup dodged back, taken by surprise, then blocked another that came close to his breast. The fighting resumed, egged on by the few huge, hideous men who seemed to be Carron's personal bodyguards. After a few powerful swings, the chief managed to disarm his opponent. Carron staggered back out of harm's way before he signalled to his heavy-looking companions.

They all tensed at once, one kicking out at Hiccup's knee and knocking him down, another standing on his sword, and the third and fourth snatched him up again. Incapacitated, he quickly gave up trying to kick his captors or wriggle away. They were far too strong. Carron gloated, victorious, from a few paces away.

"Not so clever now, are you, dragon rider?" He snickered unkindly. Hiccup snorted indignantly, his eyebrows shooting up.

"You didn't even defeat me yourself! You got your men to do the dirty work! How is that a fair fight?"

"Nothing's fair, my friend. I would have thought you'd have learnt that by now."

Again, the girl stepped forward, sweeping a curtain of long, nut-brown hair our of her eyes. "Carron, don't be so ridiculous. If the world isn't fair, shouldn't we at least try to make it more so?"

Carron turned and thrust a hand into her shoulder, knocking her to the floor and forcing startled gasps from the crowd. Amazingly, it only took her a few moments before she had sat up again.

Hiccup was appalled by what he saw. Even the twins weren't normally this rough with each other, and he knew that they were only playing. "You wait, Carron. When I don't return to my village, they'll come looking. They'll find me and they'll burn this place to the ground with their dragons. If I can't convince you to release me before then, you can kiss this lovely little village goodbye."

"Are you threatening me?" the man smirked in disbelief.

"I'm not the one threatening you. I'm just telling you what they're going to do."

"Big words from a small man. Let me know how long it takes the rats to eat your toes," he growled, his voice gravelly and sharp. "Take him away"

Hiccup tried to shout a few more warnings in his wake, but the leader wasn't listening. He watched as his dragon was dragged unceremoniously across the ground towards a steep cliff in the hillside that loomed out of the snow like an iceberg on the sea. There was a walkway, barely visible, running up the side, rising high over the ramshackle shacks huddled on the valley floor. They crossed a shallow, rushing river that was racing along towards the sea that stretched out along one side of the small village. Hiccup had to pick his feet up over sharps of sharp ice that flowed through it. His one foot was soaked and frozen in an instant. As the houses passed behind him, he saw his beloved dragon dragged into a cave under the walkway, a different cave system to the one he was being led towards, it's entrance looming from halfway up the causeway. Hiccup gulped. He hoped that Sharpshot would be fast and that his threats would be proven right. If they weren't, he'd be trapped in here for the rest of his days, without the company of any human or dragon, with only the rats nibbling his feet to break the monotony.

He tried not to think about it. Of course they would come. He wouldn't be stuck here forever. Would he?

_Ooh! Carron is not a nice man!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Me again! Enjoy another chapter courtesy of me!_

_Hiccupisnotuseless: Glad you liked it! However, I don't think Carron is half as tough or mean as he seems to be. Keep reading and you'll see. His name is made up and came from the name of a hill I live near, but I changed it. _

_Guest: Wow, thanks! It's not often I get an in-depth review from someone other than Hiccupisnotuseless, so thanks a ton for that! I always try to write characters as close to the original as I can. I hate badly written characters! I hope you're going to like Nags: she plays a big part later on_

Stormfly gave a screech as she battled through the rushing winds and driving snow, her bright yellow eyes half-closed, her cyan scales powdered with ice. Her legs were tucked up close to her body in an attempt to stay warm as she thrust herself ever onwards through the storm. On her back, her heavy sheepskin jacket pulled tightly around her, holding her hood up to hide her face from the bitter cold, Astrid shivered and shook, her fingers and toes numb. How she wished she could be at home, curled up with Hiccup beside a warm, flickering fire, just him and her and the whole night to waste...

But she knew that something was wrong. It sat in the pit of her stomach like a painful, sharp pebble, twisting her gut into a million shapes of worry. It left a bitter taste on her tongue and a dryness in her mouth. Hiccup wouldn't have sent Sharpshot home unless something was very, very wrong. He needed help, and fast. She hadn't had time to alert anyone, not even Valka, but at least if the chief's mother didn't come then someone would be left home to protect and run the village. Berk was a tough place to look after in normal conditions; with this storm blowing in and looking like it was here to stay, everyone would have to amass in the great hall and food stocks would run low... She didn't have the time or patience for all of that.

Her worry for her fiancee was making her feel ill. To combat it, she tried to think of something, anything that would make her feel happy, but there was only one way in which her thoughts would turn. Hiccup had proposed to her only a few weeks ago, and of course, she had answered with a resounding 'yes'. Under her many layers of furs, she could feel the soft warmth of the golden necklace he had presented to her as a token of their engagement. It was the only thing keeping her from feeling that she had lost him forever, like a part of him was there, holding on around her neck and keeping her calm. Astrid bit her freezing lips, barely able to see through the thick snowdrifts.

It was only when they found themselves flying through an ashy cloud of icy black fog that she knew she had found her target. The storm was less intense here and as she and her dragon dropped closer to the ground, she found she could make out the forms of buildings down there on the valley floor. Huge cliffs rose up on either side of the river gorge, some houses clinging to them in places like lichens. The river shallowed and broke out into the sea at the farthest edge of the village, where several boats were bobbing madly on the heavy swell and huddling together to wait out the storm.

Then, she clapped eyes on a sight that made her blood run cold. There was a procession of people making their way up the gorge side, one at the front dancing and gloating, the others around him laughing and pushing at a figure draped in chains between them. She'd know that tapping click that echoed from the walls of the canyon anywhere. Hiccup's metal leg, the one he had lost nigh on ten years ago. She could see that bouncing mop of red-brown hair from where she sat in the saddle even with the thick snow flakes drifting down and kissing her cheeks. It was a sight that almost made her reach for her axe, on it's sling on her back, where it always sat, but she stopped herself. He was in trouble now, and in deep. Once again, it was up to Astrid to fish him out.

Stormfly stretched out her legs and landed at the lowest point of the cliffs, between tall, elegant pines that stood straight and proud despite the freakish weather. The Nadder growled unhappily as her rider slid carefully from the saddle and staggered into one of those thick trunks. Every joint was agony thanks to the cold and she took a slow walk to try to ease her stiff, stubborn limbs. When she turned to look, she saw her dragon disappearing over the edge of the gorge and jogged towards her, not keen on being left behind. Stormfly was scouring the gorge side closely, and as she seemed to find what she was looking for, she came back up for her rider.

The cave was rather small, only big enough for the dragon to squeeze herself in and curl up in a tight ball. The Nadder lit a warm fire before herself and closed her eyes, almost instantly falling asleep. Her rider, on the other hand, gathered close and warmed herself thankfully before setting out again. Whatever trouble Hiccup had got himself into, it couldn't be good, and she refused to stop and rest before heading out to find him. The quicker they got out of here, the better.

She quickly found a snow-caked pathway, slippery with hidden ice, that led down into the village via steps that were cut into the rock itself. The procession that had led up the causeway on the other side of the gorge was now slowly making it's way down again. People were milling around, muttering and pointing unhappily. Astrid pulled up her hood and strode on down into the streets.

She tried to make it look as though she knew where she was going as she hurried through the emptying streets, her hood muffling the sounds from outside. Once or twice, she almost bumped in to one of the townsfolk, but other than that, she felt it was going rather well right up to the point that she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She started, whirling around to face whoever had tried to catch her attention. A youngish man stood behind her, a mean look on his face. She patiently waited as he looked her over, biting her lip beneath the shadow of her hood.

"Haven't seen you around before. Where do you come from?" He asked, in a manner that suggested he was very sure of himself.

"I'm... but a humble traveller, of course" she replied, putting on an odd voice to mask her identity.

"Hmm. Come in with the ships before the storm, huh?"

Astrid nodded quietly. A lucky escape. "Just got in in time. Good thing too, it's a nasty one," she tried to make small talk, sounding odd to her ears in that affected voice.

"Yes, it is rather. Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm Carron, the leader of this place. Though I'm sure you already know that after all the crazy stuff that happened earlier..." He reached out to shake her hand, clasping it tightly. Astrid's heart skipped a beat. "See you around, traveller."

As he stalked off, Astrid let out the breath she didn't realise she was holding. That odd, estranged look in his eyes and the way they were narrowed at her gave her chills the snow and ice couldn't possibly match. With a shiver, she turned to hurry away. The gravity of the situation had never felt so heavy. Her numb feet carried her quickly to the first steps of the causeway, but she found guards standing there and blocking the way. Turning swiftly, she carried on down the winding face that snaked along the bottom of the gorge side.

When she was sure no-one was looking, Astrid threw back her hood, feeling the biting cold on her face. She looked around, searching closely, and found a sort of deer track leading up the side of the cliff, covered over by heavy foliage and baby pine trees clinging on to the rock. If she was just careful enough, she could get up there, and with the thick snow, there weren't many people around to watch. With a last glance behind her, she began to climb, grabbing roots and digging her bare fingers into the soft, sucking mud.

By the time she was even close to the entrance of the prison, she was lagged in a thick layer of sticky, rain soaked mud and her fingers could barely move for the cold. Her knees were sore and red, her soft palms cut in places, her face nicked by brambles and smudged with dirt. She stifled a cough as she peered out of the greenery at the vast gaping maw of the prison. Any sudden noise could give her away and ruin her chance of ever seeing Hiccup again, and she wouldn't let that happen, for her village or for herself. Luckily, she found, the guards were rather lenient, only guarding the bottom of the cliff walkway, as though they thought that was the only escape. There may have been more guards inside, however, and Astrid pulled her axe from it's sling across her back. However much she didn't want to use it, there may come a time when she would no longer have a choice.

Slipping out of her cover, she quickly made for the gaping maw, diving inside and flattening herself against the wall. A few meters away, two guards were jovially chatting away.

"Maybe they aren't stupid," She muttered to herself, gripping her axe and drawing up all of her courage to take a look down the long stone cave. Beyond where the two guards were standing, one lean and tall, the other slightly shorter and skinnier, the corridor dissolved into darkness. She couldn't see anything beyond but the suggestion of a cavern, but even that she couldn't be sure of. She was cascading into the unknown, all on the off-chance that her lover lay waiting for her in that pitch black cave.

Gulping, she hefted her axe and readied herself for the fight.

_Dun dun dun! Who's gonna win? What's gonna happen next? No-one is gonna guess right, trust me_


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm back!_

_Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!_

Jax gave a yelp as a horrible, terrible, guttural cry came racing down the corridor towards him. For all his swift thinking, he had never been a great fighter, and Carron only kept him for his brain. He turned to face the aggressive, screaming warrior coming swiftly towards them, fumbling at his belt for his dagger, the only weapon he had ever really owned. His companion, Spithawk, drew out his impressive blade and lifted it to combat the assailant.

The man launched into battle with the two guards, Jax falling back, hoping that Spit could hold him off long enough for him to go and get help. The noise of axe and sword clashing together made Jax's head hurt as it slammed from one wall to the other and echoed all around him. He could almost feel it pressing into him like a physical force. The young man staggered back, his dagger shaking between his fingers, messy red hair standing on end like a cat's fur.

All of a sudden, his friend was on the floor and the assailant was coming for him. He uttered a terrified shriek, backing away fearfully, his legs feeling like jelly. He'd never before imagined that he might one day fight a real person. All his training counted for nothing as this swift, graceful assassin came knifing towards him, a snarl set in his thin lips, the hood pulled up around his face obscuring the rest. Jax lifted the dagger, staring at the way his hands were trembling so badly: he almost couldn't hold on to his weapon. The assassin faltered, then pushed back his - no, her hood, dropping her axe.

"Where's Hiccup?" She demanded. Behind her, Spit moaned, rolling away from them, arms wrapped around his stomach. Jax gulped, too afraid to speak. "Where is he?" Her voice rose dangerously.

"Th-th-the p-prisoner? I-in the cell on the l-left. I-I-I didn't do anything to him, I swear!" Jax bit his lip, his eyes watering. The girl nodded calmly and turned to leave, allowing the young man to throw himself down beside his friend.

"You idiot!" Spit groaned through clenched teeth. He looked furious. "What did you do that for?"

"Because I don't agree with any of this! Carron's gone mad!"

"I think it's very brave of you." The girl was still standing there behind them, and she smiled to Jax as she turned back and disappeared into the darkness. His heart fluttered. There was something about this young woman that intrigued him. He heaved Spit up onto his shoulder and staggered out of the darkness into the blinding white of the snowstorm.

Astrid stumbled in the dark and cursed to herself. The only light in this place came from a torch attached to a bracket nearby, but the light was pestering out as she walked towards it. Quickly, she snatched it up and lit the torch next to it. The cave was getting wider. A few paces on, there was another unlit torch on the wall. She lit this one too, and the next and the next, until she realised she was no longer in a corridor but a wide cavern. The light was just enough to see the other side of the vast room. The whole place was filled with sharp stalagtites and stalagmites and was as cold and bleak as the weather outside. In alcoves around the great theatre, barred doors blocked the escape from several dank, dingy, small cells. There was only one that was closed, only one with a pale face staring out hauntingly from the shadows.

"Hiccup!" She cried in relief, rushing over to him. Her axe clattered to the floor by her feet as she reached through the bars to hold his cheeks between her hands. He in turn gave a joyous cry and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as he could. The bars were cold and clammy against Astrid's cheeks as she placed a kiss upon his forehead, leaving rusty streaks down the front of her jacket.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she breathed into his soft hair.

"You came for me. I can't believe it!" He was giggling like a child as he held her close. Both were glad of the warmth they could share between them, warming up their frozen bones.

"Just hang on a second, I'll get you out. I just need to pick the lock..." Astrid groaned. She had no idea how to pick locks and neither did her fiancee. Resting her head desperately against the bars, she sighed. Hiccup gave her a wry smile.

"Don't worry, you could just find where they hide the keys and unlock it. I think it's somewhere over there..." He pointed across the cavern, then shrugged. The woman before him raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I will. Just gimme a -"

She was cut off by a snuffling, shuffling sound that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and made her body go rigid. There was a muttering and a scuffling, and Astrid had the sick feeling she knew what it was. There was another person in the cave. In fact, she could see their shadowy shape crossing the opposite side of the hall, just out of the torch light. A chuckle drifted across the thick, tense air. Hiccup touched her wrist as she turned and reached for her axe, picking it up very slowly and carefully and raising it towards the danger.

"Who's there?" She called bravely, stepping away from Hiccup's comforting touch. Another chuckle, then a sort of scuffle, and finally, a man flew across the empty space and crashed face first onto the floor at her feet. She instantly recognised the helmet that crashed against her toes and that mess of platinum blond dreadlocks. Her face flushed with fury. She had been followed.

"Tuffnut?!" She yelled furiously, giving him a mean kick as he struggled to his feet, sending him crashing to the floor again. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me, your sister is here too."

"Yup," the reply came; not from him, but from the second figure, tall and lanky, that came striding out of the shadows. Almost identical, the twins both had the same pushed-in noses and sharp, angular features; long jaws; stringy, unkempt hair; the same hunch to their shoulders as though they never stood upright. They also had the same cheeky-yet-malicious grins on their faces as they revealed themselves to their chief and fiancee.

"We were bored and saw you leave," Tuffnut, the young man, explained indifferently "Thought you might be doing something fun."

"Yeah," his sister backed him up, "Nothing happens on Berk anymore."

"This is ridiculous! How could you?" Astrid no longer cared about secrecy: with these two idiots tagging along, they wouldn't stay secret for very long, and so her voice rose to a shout as she lectured them. "Do you think this is funny? This could get dangerous! I need precision and accuracy, not pig-ignorance and clumsiness!"

"That's a bit harsh," The brother muttered, nudging his sister as she nodded.

"I don't care. I can't believe I've got to deal with you two now..."

"Not just them." A voice rang out clearly through the cave, loud and proud, like a bell. Yet another person stepped out from their hiding place and into the flickering light. "And next time something happens to my son, you will tell me and not just go thundering off without a word." Valka thrust her shoulders back, that heart-breaking look of anger and disappointment plastered over her usually soft, kindly features. She was tall and angular, her hair pulled back into a long braid that trailed behind her like a tail as she walked. Her big, wide eyes were full of betrayal and pain, spindly hands clamping her staff tightly. Sometimes, it was very easy to believe she was the wife of the former chief and Hiccup's late father, Stoick the Vast, a gruff and strict fellow in life. He had been the living definition of a chief, firm but kindly, until he was cruelly murdered by a madman. Valka was becoming more and not like him every day that passed, like she was trying to fill the gap he had left in both of their lives.

"And now, I suppose the whole academy is going to show up?" Astrid stared her chief's mother down, fuming. Valka lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh, guys? I think we might have a problem..." Everyone turned to Ruffnut, who was pointing towards the entrance of the tunnels, fear reflecting the torch light in her eyes. They could see the silhouettes of soldiers pounding down the rocky passageway. "Tuff, d'you have any weapons?" She jabbed her brother in the arm to get his attention.

"Only my knife," he replied shakily, drawing it from his belt. His sister gulped.

"Me too..."

Valka lifted her staff and whirled it round herself. The air rushed through the whistle-holes on either end, giving off an eerie hum, like a warning. Astrid hefted her axe, taking on her battle stance and glaring towards the entrance. She was so close now, so very close to having Hiccup back that there was no way she was going to let go of him now.

_Oooh, snap! Will they be okay? Found out soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Next Chapter!_

_Been rereading the first Runaway before I get my laptop back so I can make the second seem more believable_

_Guest: Well, if you'd just found someone you'd been searching for you'd plausibly forget to tun around. Hehe_

_Summergirl404: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it! I know how you feel, I get bored of intros that go on far too long. It's also boring for the writer to sit and write it! Also, if you read my stuff a lot, you'll see I'm a bit to find of cliff hangers. Sorry!_

The soldiers poured into the tiny cave, weapons raised and teeth bared. The Berkians clustered together, their own axes and staffs pointed out towards their foes. Hiccup retreated a few steps, his heart hammering, fear for his friends bubbling up inside him. The chief desperately hoped they'd be alright, but the odds were stacked against them and it was far more likely that they'd end up trapped in here like him.

He watched as the first few soldiers came clambering into the hall-like cave structure and gave shouts of war. Astrid slammed the flat of her axe against one's head, Valka flooring the other with a heavy blow from her staff. The twins jeered and sneered from behind the other two. Another two came at them, one tripping over his fallen comrade and knocking himself out on a stalagtite, the other finding himself the focus of both Astrid and Valka. It was a wonder his head was not crushed between the two heavy weapons.

The rest of the warriors backed off a little, fanning out around the walls and surrounding them. There were ten in all, not as many as the Berkians had previously thought, and four were already lying on the floor. All were tall and strong-looking, their hair pulled back into ponytails running down their backs. There were two or three women among them, one of which was decked out in golden thread along her shoulders: she was most probably the leader. Astrid heard Valka growl near her ear, her face contorting into a feral snarl. Having spent twenty years living alone among hundreds of dragons, it was no wonder that the woman had picked up many of their mannerisms. It didn't worry Astrid; in fact, it almost made her feel safer, like there was an actual dragon stood beside her.

The warriors held back, waiting for the intruders to make the first move towards them, but Astrid waited. The others were following her lead, glancing at her out of the corners of their eyes. She was leading them as she would expect Hiccup to, not dashing in and attacking as she might want to. She knew it wouldn't do any good anyway. One turned to another, chortling and gesturing towards Valka.

"Hey, lady! aren't you a bit old to be playing dragons?" the first warrior chuckled meanly. Valka's shoulders hunched further. A stone to the head quickly shut him up, thrown by one of the twins. Ruffnut high-fived her brother, laughing heartily. Astrid couldn't help smiling, hearing the chief's mother snort beside her. The warrior was spread-eagled on the floor, unconscious.

Tuffnut raised another rock, ready to throw, when there was a dull thwap. Astrid turned to see the leader taking a long, thin pipe from her lips and prepare another one of the strange puffs of red fur, pushing it firmly inside. Her blood ran cold as she turned to find Tuffnut examining one of these, having just pulled it from his neck. He stood, wobbling, holding it aloft for the group to see.

"Hey, very funny! Nice shot. I-" But the next second, with a great, heavy thump, the man hit the deck and the cave descended into chaos. Weapons flew and rocks were hurled, Ruffnut managing to take out the one with the dart pipe before she could claim any more victims. Astrid and Valka flew into battle with relish, their weapons crashing and clashing against those of their opponents and slicing and cutting gouges into flesh. Once, Astrid thought she heard Valka cry out in pain, and then Ruffnut, but she couldn't take her eyes off the woman she was fighting. She parried left and right, blocking the woman's sword until she saw the opportunity to slam her axe against the girl's hand and sever it from her wrist. Flesh and metal crashed to the floor with a wet splat, leaving the warrior screaming at a red jet of pain.

In a lull, Ruffut dashed towards the cell door that held her chief. If she just had time to pick the lock, she could release him and they could escape, dragging her brother behind them. She pulled her trusty lock picking stick from inside her jacket pocket and jammed it into the lock. From inside, she felt Hiccup pressing against the door to help her.

"Hurry, Ruff! You can do it!" He hissed.

"I know, just hold your dragons!"

He could have been about to say something else, but she would never know, for at that moment, she was sure she saw a hand clamp over his mouth and drag him back into the darkness.

"Hiccup?"

The next second, her head suddenly exploded in excruciating, ringing, blotchy pain. She let out a scream. Lights danced before her eyes as she cried out again and tried to turn to face her assailant. However, she swooned, falling back against the metal bars, feeling blood streaking down her cheeks, and the last thing she knew was the blackness engulfing her, stalagtites looming out and grabbing her, dragging her down and down. She let out a strangled cry as the fingers tore her from reality.

"Help..."

Astrid barged into the man before he could use his brutish axe to cleave her friend's skull open, smashing him against the bars of the cage. She then threw him away and brought her axe down. She didn't even look at what she'd done, just pulled her axe out of his ruined body, turned away and rushed to Valka's side. The woman was fighting the last two warriors standing, and the chief's fiancee dashed in, throwing her back against her friend's and swinging her weapon again. Working together, the two ladies brought both brutes crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Not bad for a couple of girls, eh, Hiccup?" She gloated vainly, turning around to raise her eyebrows at him before she found that he was no longer there. "Hiccup?" She called, dropping her axe and dashing over to peer into the darkness while Valka knelt by Tuffnut and checked his pulse. "I don't understand! He was here just a second ago!"

"He's gone?" Valka looked up. "Where?"

"How should I know?"

"Good point," the lady nodded. "We have more pressing matters to attend to. We can come back for him. We have to get out of here."

"But we were so close!" Astrid whined unhappily. She cast a glance beside her, making to help her friend up when she noticed the bright coating of warm blood on Ruffnut's face. Her face contorted with fear and alarm. "Oh no, Ruffnut!" She cried, horrified, dropping to her knees and turning the girl's face this way and that. Her face was slack and almost beautiful, framed in bright crimson. Her body, slumped against the rusty bars, was unharmed, but that man had really done a mischief to her head. Astrid stared at the way her own hands were shaking and instantly made her decision.

"Valka, you're right, we have to get out of here. Where are your dragons?"

"I don't know about Barf and Belch, but Cloudjumper is under strict orders not to move from his hiding place. They still kill dragons around here."

"Yeah, and Stormfly is sleeping. I don't expect she'll be stupid enough to come after me..."

"Your dragon is very clever, Astrid. She knows what she needs to do"

Astrid nodded, then groaned. "What are we supposed to do now? We can't stay here, someone will come looking, but if we leave through that entrance, we'll be attacked by the villagers. They'll know soldiers were sent up here. Oh, what are we gonna do?"

"I have an idea..." A little voice offered from the shadows. A shape moved in the darkness, and Astrid, her veins still throbbing with the thrill of the fight, wit her Hunter 's instinct, snatched up her axe and whirled it around, meaning to strike whoever or whatever it was. She heard a terrified squeak and the person stumbled away through the cave, hiding behind a huge, thick stalagmite. There was a flash of long, bronze hair in the torch light. The blonde woman brought her weapon up and struck off the top of the strange structure. Another cry, and the young girl jumped up, backing away, her green eyes full of terror. They shone in a way that reminded the young woman of her own fiancee, trapped here, alone and frightened. Her heart skipped a beat, and finally, turning away, she let her axe fall from her hands. Her instinct drained away like the colour from her face. She put her hand over her mouth as Valka appeared at her shoulder, making a strange, choking, sob, and turning gratefully to bury herself against the older woman's shoulder.

Her pain and sorrow and anger melted away as her finacee's mother patted her back carefully. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her gaze caught upon the body of the man she had killed, his back opened up, blood pooling around and inside his lifeless body, and she gave an ugly sob and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as though doing so would eradicate the sick thing that she had just done.

"Don't worry," Valka smiled to the copper-haired girl before her. "She's not usually this vicious."

"Love does funny things to people," The girl nodded, and Astrid looked around at her. Save for the speckling of sweat beads on her forehead, the girl was no worse for wear. She beamed encouragingly. Astrid roughly swept away her tears, blushing and embarrassed, picking her axe up and slipping it back into its sling on her back. She tried to ignore the way the young teen before her flinched, but the pang of regret kept on coming like a tolling bell deep inside her. She pursed her lips and moved away, back to Tuffnut, who was just beginning to come around.

"The name's Nags!" The copper-haired girl enthusiastically stretched out her hand, shaking Valka's wrist exuberantly and grinning. "I think you might be looking for a way out?"

_She's cheeky, that Nags! And good at timing._


	6. Chapter 6

_Next chapter! How are our beloved Vikings getting on?_

_Summergirl404: You'll find out soon, I hope! Thank you, I try hard to make my fight scenes as God as possible._

_Guest: the eternal question!_

Nags snatched a torch off the wall swiftly, her cheeks flushed with the brilliance of her own plan. Valka liked her. She was confident and clever and quirky, a lot like her son. She moved with an air of beauty even if she wasn't what she would call beautiful. Her face was round, rosy cheeks bright in the pale sea of freckled skin. Her striking copper hair was left to swing wild around her as she moved, like a wave of molten metal.

Valka stooped to heave the male twin onto his feet, tossing his arm over her shoulder and helping him to stand. He was awake, if you could call it that, stumbling about like a drunk man as the effects of the dart wore off. His sister, however, hadn't yet recovered. Astrid lifted her up over her shoulders, keeping a tight hold of her.

"Are you all ready?" Nags chirped jovially, looking pleased with herself as she waved the torch towards a dark tunnel. Astrid motioned for Valka to go first; better that Tuffnut was kept in the dark about his sister's condition. However, just as they were about to leave, they heard shouts outside the tunnel entrance. Nags went stiff.

"Jax! And Carron!" She gasped.

Astrid's lips curled. "That horrible man. I was kind to him, you know!"

"If you're talking about Jax, don't think about it," The young girl said earnestly. "He doesn't mean anything by it, he's just scared of Carron. We all are."

As the shouts became louder and feet pounded around the walls of the cave, Nags turned and dashed away like a hare. The two Berkians followed suit, dragging their comrades with them and following the flickering torch light down a narrow, sloping tunnel. Every so often, they'd lose sight of Nags around the constant right curve, but she would always be waiting just a little way down the passage. Behind them, they heard Carron shouting to his men: not warriors this time, but lean, stringy boys not much older than Nags herself.

Ruffnut stirred in Astrid's arms; just a tiny movement, but she was waking up, and when she did, Astrid didn't want to think about how grumpy that headache would make her. On ahead, Tuffnut had let go of Valka's shoulder, and though he stumbled and tripped, he could move much faster on his own.

"Where's Ruffnut?" He called. Valka was behind him, blocking his way.

"She's coming!" She replied quickly, slightly out of breath.

"Keep going!" Astrid shouted hurriedly, well aware of the slamming of wide, flat shoes on the rock behind her. "They're coming! What do we do?"

Without a word, Nags dropped back, holding herself against the wall until Astrid has passed her. She then grabbed something from her pocket and spilt it on the floor, dropping the torch into the midst of the puddle. Flames consumed the oily substance, leaping high into the air and cutting off their route. Even if it didn't stop those horrible boys, it would at least slow them down. She smirked and dashed away just as the first runner skidded to a halt in front of the blaze.

A few meters down and she stopped again. In the pitch black, Tuffnut was holding his head and moaning, "We're trapped! We're doomed!"

"Stuff and nonsense!" She said chirpily, dropping to her hands and knees. "Follow me!" She crawled quickly into a very low tunnel, something they hadn't seen without the torch light. Tuffnut dashed after her, followed by Valka, who stopped every few meters to help Astrid pull Ruffnut through.

As they made it through to the other side, Tuffnut finally saw what had become of his sister and he cried out in shock. "What happened to her?"

"Never mind, keep going!" Nags yelped, sounding afraid for the first time. "We need to go, go, go!" She dashed off, and Tuffnut grudgingly followed, Astrid gathering up her friend and running with Valka at the rear. Together, they dashed through the growing darkness, through the back streets of the village, the runners lost way behind them. All the way across the village, they bolted like stray animals, their lungs burning in their chests, hearts throbbing uncomfortably.

When they finally dashed into a house, Nags shushed them and smiled "Come in, come in! Just be quiet so you don't wake-"

"What's all this! Nags, you've made some friends!" The cracking voice boomed from inside the little house. Nags groaned.

"...Gramps..."

The old man toddled out of the darkness, thin white beard twisted into his fingers, watery, white-blue eyes gazing out from their wrinkled sockets. He was a small and stooped little man, smiling all the time at some kind of inside joke. Nags ran over and hugged him and then began to hurry the Berkians into a basement beneath the house through a trapdoor under the table.

"Who are these lovely people?" He asked cheerfully as Astrid bustled past, Ruffnut still limp in her arms. Nags snatched some bandages from the kitchen area.

"They've come to get their friend, the man locked up in the cells," she told him. Valka, still helping the others down, looked shocked. "Don't worry, Gramps doesn't agree with it either"

"Good for them! Welcome to Bloodbath-on-Sea!" He chuckled cheerfully. He already sounded less like a mad old man. His eyes glittered. "Anyone hungry?"

Nags nodded eagerly as she dropped the medical supplies down the hatch. Below her, Astrid was hurriedly wiping the dried blood from Ruffnut's skin and washing out the cut in her scalp. Tuffnut gathered the bandages and stood beside her, getting in the way more than helping.

"She's gonna be fine, it's not a big cut and her skull isn't cracked. Just concussion." The blond smiled as she snatched some clean cloth from the bundle in Tuffnut's arms and tying it tightly around the sister's head. "She's fine. Let her rest."

Tuff nodded quietly and sat back in a corner, looking around the small room. There were kegs of mead and barrels of salted meats stacked high against the walls, a rack of maturing cheeses giving off a pungent yet alluring odour. Beyond the wooden walls, sand was pressing in, but cleverly, they had dug the room out and built into the sandy ground before it had a chance to reclaim the room. Now, it was left cold, dry and perfect for storing food. Tuffnut smiled. He wanted a room like this.

Suddenly, his nose picked up a smell that drew him towards the trap door like a dragon lured from a cave by the stench of day-old fish. He clambered out hungrily, his stomach growling, and was pleased to find the others clustered around, offering bread and fish around. Valka laughed as he snatched the bread she offered him and shoved the whole piece into his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.

It was late and darkness was pressing in. Nags hurried her new allies into the basement, smiling at them as she closed the trap door above them. Astrid went to Valka's side.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"We will just have to sit and to wait for our next opportunity to sneak into the cells. If we leave and start to make trouble, we might put Nags and her grandfather in danger..." She saw at the hurt look in Astrid's eyes and bit her lip.

"It's hard..." Her voice shook with emotion. "Knowing he's so close and yet not being able to do anything."

"Be strong. You're the strongest person I know, and I know you can get through this." Astrid looked up at her mother-in-law to be with watery eyes and sniffed before returning her encouraging smile.

"I'll try," She whispered.

_Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to R+R_


	7. Chapter 7

_Next chapter, and the Berkians aren't out of the woods yet!_

_Hiccupisnotuseless: She does, doesn't she? Oops... Hehehe. Thank you, thank you and thank you again! You're so kind about my stories! I shall have to make time to look at your lovely one-shot and your other stories. I have not forgotten you, don't worry!_

_Guest: Glad you're enjoying it!_

_Jesusfreak: So glad my story is making you so happy! Also, everyone loves concerned Tuffnut. Hehehe._

The door suddenly crashed open. Nags turned to look, her heart missing a beat as Carron stalked into her house. He immediately started to look under chairs and tables, searching for something. Nags plastered a confused look on her face, hoping the beads of sweat appearing on her brow wouldn't show.

"Uuuh... Carron? Something you're looking for?" She asked carefully.

"Quiet!" He snarled, making her jump. He flew across the room, his dagger raised to her throat. Nags couldn't help giving a cry of surprise. "I will hear nothing from you! I know you're hiding them! I'll kill you for this!"

Gramps wondered out of his bedroom to see what was going on, his curious, blue-eyed gaze washing over them slowly. "What's happening?" He asked, sounding scared. Nags gulped.

"It's okay, Gramps, just go back to bed..."

"Silence! Come here, old man," Carron growled. Gramps tottered over happily, smiling to himself. "Now, your little granddaughter... has she brought any new friends home lately? Hidden them somewhere, perhaps?"

Gramps thought for a second, stroking his beard, before he chuckled to himself. "She's nice, my granddaughter."

"Yes, but has she brought anyone home and hidden them?" Carron sounded exasperated already. The knife pressed into Nags's neck.

"I like my granddaughter. She has lot's of friends."

"Oh, forget it!" Carron brought his hand up and slapped Nags away from himself. She gave a screech, falling into a table, her cheek red and smarting. "I will not be insulted in this way!"

"You're insulted?" Nags thrust her face into his, her voice louder than he had ever heard it. "You've barged into my house, thrown my tables around, held a knife to my throat, upset my grandfather; If anyone should be insulted, it's ME!" Her screaming could be heard all around the village. Carron had never realised that she would have her father's voice, let alone his temper and his way with words. "And just for the record; just for the record: I don't agree with ANYTHING you've been doing. Now get out of my house! Get out! Get OUT!"

The man ran, dashing out of the door before his ears began to bleed. Nags stalked after him, slamming the door behind him. She span around, looking at the jovial look in Gramps' face, and gave a short, heartless laugh.

"Well said, my girl!" He laughed, watery blue eyes shining. She tried to smile; honestly, she did; but the stabbing pain through her chest brought tears to her eyes so that Gramps all of a sudden became a blur of disconnected shapes. Her face crumpled, as did her knees, and she slid down the door and onto the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her skirts. Gramps bustled over hurriedly, putting his arm around the sobbing girl.

Under the table, something stirred, and the hatch flew open on its hinges, crashing to the ground on the other side. From the cellar, Astrid climbed, banging her head on the table above as she came. After the fight, she had been eager to get away from the group of mad people below; Ruffnut complaining about her head, Tuffnut goading her until she pounded him and Valka talking to herself as she studied the cheese rack. She also wanted to make sure everyone was alright above. She gasped when she saw Nags curled up against the door.

Gramps sighed. "In love with the enemy?" He said softly. Behind her knees, Nags shook her head. Astrid watched on as she emerged, locking her gaze with Gramps', her eyes puffy and red, her pale cheeks tracked with tears.

"How can I ever love him? Not now, not after everything he's done. He's dead to me; and it's that that hurts...

Gramps nodded understandingly. Nags took one final, deep sniff and pushed herself up onto her feet, carefully rearranging the furniture and roughly wiping her face with her scratchy woollen outer skirt. She cast a sideways glance at Astrid as she did so, looking suddenly quite embarrassed.

"It isn't everyday one admits to a perfect stranger that one was in love with the enemy..." She muttered. Astrid smiled awkwardly.

"Don't worry. I know you're not an enemy yourself: you're the only one here who's actually helped us. Besides, love is a weird thing. I mean, look where it got me!" She replied calmly.

"How's your friend?"

"Ruffnut? Well, she's fine as far as I can see, save for a bad headache."

"Concussion is never pleasant," Nags agreed slowly. "Oh, well, if you're all back on your feet then I think you did very well."

Astrid laughed at that. Gramps smiled at both girls as they chatted happily, as though nothing was wrong. However, as Valka came up through the hatch to see what all the laughter was about, he spied movement outside in the street.

"I believe we may have further visitors..." He muttered gruffly, scowling through the window. "If you wouldn't mind, ladies, may I persuade you below?"

Nags spotted the group coming towards them and sprang into action, ushering her guests below hurriedly. Valka had managed to get down and Astrid had just placed one foot on the ladder before the door flew off it's hinges and crashed to the floor in front of them. Astrid froze like a rabbit before a dragon, her eyes wide, like saucers.

"There they are!" Carron screamed. "I knew it! I knew it!" He laughed with triumph, not a hearty, kind laugh but a cruel one. He had won. "Nags, Gramps, you're both under arrest for high treason and housing fugitives! Remove the dragon rider's friends and then... leave these two to me."

Astrid cast a horrified glance at Nags as she was roughly grabbed by the arms by some of the bruised warriors from earlier. More reached down and snatched Valka by the hair, dragging her up unkindly, kicking and screaming. Nags stood still, watching them be taken away with a strange, almost apologetic look in her eyes, her fingers tangling in her long red hair. In the cellar, she could hear Ruffnut and Tuffnut putting up a fight, scuffling around the sandy basement until finally they were snatched up like the rest and carried up and out of the door. The young girl found herself and Gramps alone with Carron and Jax. The deputy was inching away from his master, his stomach full of butterflies.

"So, I was right. It was you." Carron looked pleased with himself, victorious at last.

"Yeah. You were." Nags snapped back like a dog with it's hackles up. Her shoulders were tense, shaking fists clasped at her sides.

"You know what happens to traitors, don't you?" He whispered, low and dangerous.

"They used to be given six months and then another chance, but I hardly expect that to be the procedure any more."

"Quite right. I kill any traitors. You do know that. Surely, even that got through your thick skull."

Nags snarled, launching herself forward, fists raised, but Carron was waiting for her, grabbing her arms and twisting them so that she gave a cry of pain and fell to the ground at his feet. Gramps looked startled, going back to his helpless little old man routine. His eyes grew damp and scared. Nags looked up into the eyes of her oppressor, trembling but defiant. Carron called for his men, a mean glint in his eye.

"Restrain her!" He told them, grinning maliciously. They gathered the girl up and held her back as Carron turned to Jax. "Your dagger, please. Oh no, it's not for me. You're going to take that dagger and embed it in the old man's throat. Now."

"NO!" Nags squealed, pulling and fighting the arms that held her. "Don't hurt him! He doesn't understand!"

Carron stared at Jax, who looked between his master and the girl twisting and writhing in her captor's grip. Then, the old man with the watery eyes, the old chief, the father of the last chief, looking so helpless and scared. He was scared himself. This dagger was a present, a status symbol, not a killing machine. He felt dizzy and sick as he took a step towards the former chief.

"GRAMPS!" Nags screamed, tears bubbling up in her eyes. "No, you can't hurt him! Please, don't hurt him!"

Jax was shaking badly from head to toe. His head felt fuzzy as he took another step, and another. Carron stood at his shoulder, forcing him onwards, whispering cruelly in his ear. Gramps backed away, terrified, and now the man knew that it was him the old man was afraid of, not Carron, not anyone else; it was him.

Jax recoiled. He thought he was going to be sick. He back away, but Carron snatched his wrist, and together, they knifed forwards.

_I'm so mean, sorry! _


	8. Chapter 8

_What became of Nags and Gramps? Find out now!_

_Hiccupisnotuseless: Carron is a terrible man, mad with power. Watch out for him! I know it's a little boring and classic, but that's what everyone likes, right?_

_banshee1968: Thanks! Here's more!_

_Jesusfreak: you don't have to wait now!_

_Azizi09: Well, you've got Hiccup in the next chapter, so hold on! As for Toothless, you'll have to wait for the last chapter! Sorry!_

_2kraezy4u: Sorry! Cliff hangers are just such great places to end chapters! Don't worry, I won't stop writing. Ever!_

"NO!" Nags yelled again, her throat burning, her voice hoarse. The man behind her clamped a hand over her mouth, but she closed her teeth around his fingers, hearing him cry out in pain and pull away. "GRAMPS!"

The old man was huddled in a corner, whimpering, hoping they might take pity in him if he were just to continue pretending he was mad. It didn't work. Jax, Carron's strong hand around his wrist, controlling him, stumbled forwards in terror as his dagger rose up, ready to strike.

"Carron, stop, please! He's just a helpless old man, it's not fair!" He cried.

"Rubbish! I'm not punishing him, I'm punishing her!" The leader replied.

"I don't want to kill him! Let me go!"

"When are you going to grow up and become a man, Jax? All your life, you've just been a little insect. Isn't it time to grow up and feel the power you deserve?"

"I don't deserve it if I murder the former chief!"

Carron slammed a fist into his lieutenant's face. "Silence! I command you to kill the traitor!"

Jax wriggled and writhed, but he couldn't escape Carron's lethal grip. Another punch to his gut forced him to submit, to be dragged to Gramps' side, to raise the dagger above his head. His eyes filled with tears.

"No! No! NO!" Nags's managed to pull herself free, but it was too late. The dagger surged downwards, slamming into Gramps' chest, straight through his ribs with disgusting ease. The old man gave a gurgling cry as he slid down the wall, leaving a hideous trail of blood behind him. The crimson river flowed from his breast, down his shirt and pooled around his broken body as he slumped backwards.

Nags tossed Carron and Jax aside with merciless fury, throwing herself down beside her grandfather, the only family she had left, feeling the blood soak through the knees of her trousers and smear over her hands as she reached out for the old man's chin. She turned his lolling head towards her, staring into those white-blue eyes one last time.

"Oh, Gramps..." She breathed, feeling sick to her stomach. He was leaving her. She knew there was no way to save him. He reached for her cheek with his thin, pale, trembling hand, leaning forwards to whisper in her ear.

"You know what you must do. I know you can do it. I am proud of you, and I always have been. Now, go, Fulfill your destiny."

"I love you, Gramps..." was all she could manage as he slipped away from her.

Her hand clasped his as it slid from her cheek. She could hear herself crying, but it was from a long way away, the sounds distorted and cold. Nags couldn't feel the arms that grabbed her at first, but they suddenly came back to her in an instant of clarity, and she screamed, loud and long, as she fought to get away. She snapped about like a trapped animal and clamped her teeth into bare skin, kicking out at the other man so that both released their grip and she slipped away. Instantly, she pounded after Carron and Jax, who had just slipped through the open door.

It was Carron who bore the brunt of her attack as she flew at them, teeth snapping and claws slicing bare skin, fists punching and heavy boots kicking. He gave a cry of fear, throwing his hands up in front of his face, shouting for help, but Jax was too busy staring at his bloodied hands in disbelief to hear him. Nags knocked Carron to the ground, laying punches wherever she could, slamming into his ribs and hoping to hear them crack. The copper-haired girl stretched out her fingers and drew her nails across his face in a flurry of pain, leaving behind angry red scores that began to bleed as she was dragged to her feet by soldiers. She continued to shout and scream insults as they dragged her away, following the route of the captured Berkians up to the cells.

Jax watched as she was dragged away, watched the fight go out of her as his gaze met hers over her shoulder. A moment of understanding passed between them, and Jax felt his heart clench at the hollow pain in her eyes. She let her head fall to her chest, sobbing so long and so hard that she could barely breathe. She felt light-headed and sick, her vision blurring uncomfortably. She looked around again, but found she couldn't see Jax through the chaos and confusion inside her head. Her knees suddenly went weak and she fell to the ground, eyes rolling up into her lids so that she didn't even feel Jax catch her and lift her up, didn't feel him carry her away from the horror that he had caused.

Through a haze of half-dreams and pictures, Nags sifted, drowning in the sea of strange happenings, snatches of conversations shimmering about her like shoals of fish. She batted away the image of her grandfather's angry face, and those of him lying crumpled in a heap, the knife jutting out of his chest. It wasn't Jax holding it that she saw, though; It was Carron. All those kind, helpful, encouraging things he'd said to her when they were little were turning black and sour, like the bitter taste sweet things leave in your mouth, like the tar that pressed against her mouth and nose as she struggled to breath, to swim up, to escape. All she saw was black.

Suddenly, she flew upright, taking a deep gulp of air to replace what she had been missing inside her head. For a moment, she didn't know where she was, but it came back to her quickly: the fight, the knife, the blood... She looked down at the flaky, dark patches on her knees. She had never been very good with blood. Nags remembered herself passing out, and past that, nothing. The girl looked around, quickly realising that the darkness around her was actually a cell. She looked across and saw the bars of the door and the chamber beyond. There, far away, the light gleamed from the outside, bright and obscene. Her eyes pricked with tears as she remembered the events of the night before and she realised just how alone she now was.

"Hey, you're awake." The voice startled her. She looked to find Astrid kneeling beside her. The blonde reached out and touched her shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"I feel sick..." She groaned miserably, turning away. She didn't think her new friend would understand her pain. However, where she found herself looking, a pair of green eyes glittered in the dark. Eyes that knew. Eyes that understood. "Hiccup... You're what all this is about, huh?"

"Well, I didn't ask to be rescued. It just sort of happened. That's what it's like to have friends like mine," he replied casually.

"You're lucky. The only friend I ever had was Eret, and he left long ago..."

Astrid chuckled. "That's weird. We have an Eret who just moved to Berk. What's yours like?"

"Hah! Up himself, a little, but when you looked past that, his heart was pure. Nothing was too much trouble just as long as you were a friend. He was proud, too, like a cockerel, always crowing about everything that made him special."

"Eerie... our Eret does the same. Tell me, does your Eret trap dragons?"

"Trap dragons?" She echoed incredulously, "He doesn't just trap them: He's the best trapper in the entire archipelago!"

"You mean to say... Eret, Son of Eret is from Bloodbath-on-Sea?" It was Astrid's turn to be surprised. "That's crazy!"

"He moved away from us to be with you guys? Why?"

"I don't know, but I'll be sure to find out as soon as we get back. Maybe he just preferred a life away from Carron?"

"Carron only took over after he left. Eret used to keep him in line for the old chief, and then, while we were choosing a new one. Then he set up this contract with Drago Bloodvist a few years back and... well, then Carron took over. Eret barely came back. He didn't have time or whatever. Then, he just disappeared all together. Haven't seen him for a year or more, not even his boat in the waters. He was just... gone. I was afraid he was dead, but..." Her eyes shone hopefully. "He can't come home if Carron continues his awful reign and we stay stuck here behind bars. It's time we got out."

_Until next time!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Laptop is back! I'm so happy! It also means that The Runway 2 will soon be returning! Woohoo!_

_Jesusfreak: Not bad at all! I'm glad people do hate him!_

_Ladipretender: I lied, he's in the second to last, which is the next one. He's properly back in the last though! Thanks_

Jax took a deep breath as he took his post outside the cells. He didn't want to think about the kinds of abuse he'd receive from Nags and her new friends. He could see their chief glaring at them from his cell across the hall, but he carefully kept his back to the one that held the copper-haired daughter of the old chief. Little did he know, she was already right behind him.

"Jax!" She hissed. "Jax, turn around!"

"Nags, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want to hurt Gramps..."

"It's not about that. Face me so I can speak to you." She sounded awfully like her father. Jax turned and met her gaze, gulping.

"Yes, Nags?"

She studied him for a moment. "Carron just forced you to murder an innocent man, and yet you're still following him. I just don't get it. Surely, you know it's wrong?"

Jax could feel their eyes on him as he thought about his reply. "Uh... Yeah? I mean, of course I know it's wrong, but what can I do about it? Carron's just too powerful. He'd crush me if I stood up to him."

"Eret was younger than you when he first stood up to Carron. He had no trouble."

"Eret is twice my size and much stronger! All I've got is my brain, and even that doesn't work properly!"

"Jax, listen to me. You may not want to fight him directly, but you can still undermine him. Like telling me what's going on down there."

Jax nodded. "Yeah, okay... He's holding a big party in honour of your capture, shoving more of his lies down everyone's throats..."

"You're sounding better already," Nags laughed amusedly. "Right, so he's demonizing me. Okay, second thing you can do. Let us out."

"What?! No. I can't! Carron would kill me!"

"Not if I'd already taken him down. Think about it, Jax: Would you rather stay out of trouble, do nothing and let that monster win? Or would you rather give me a shot at getting rid of him? The worst that will happen I that I will die, and I will be happy to sacrifice myself for the good of my village. Besides, it's not like I've got much left to live for."

"Don't say that..." Jax whispered hurtly, his eyes shining unhappily. His stomach twisted at the thought of her dead. She snorted.

"Why not? It's the truth! As long as I hang around long enough to get these guys out of here and to take Carron down, nothing else matters. I don't need a life, not now that that evil pile of dung took mine away!" Her voice rose and rose to a shout that echoed around the walls. Jax began to look more and more upset, right up to the point his eyes shone with tears. Astrid reached out and pulled Nags back, trying to calm her down.

"Listen," she hissed hurriedly, "I know you're upset, but he's a sensitive guy. Try to give him a break, okay?"

"What do you mean? I'm not shouting at him!" She snarled.

"Look at him. Do you think he knows that?"

Nags turned. "Hmm..." All of a sudden, she felt bad for her outpouring. "I had to get it off my chest..." She muttered grumpily.

"I know, I know... Look, I think he's got a crush on you, so..."

"On me?!"

"It's obvious!"

"Really? On me?"

"Nags!"

"What?"

"You're a perfectly good person to have a crush on! Besides, love is weird. You know that better than most."

"Whatever. If he lets me out, and can get to Carron, you guys can get your dragons and we can take him down. Crush or no, he's still my friend. He'll do it. What do you say?"

"Leave you alone with Carron's lot? I'm not so sure..." Astrid bit her lip. She was itching to get to back to her dragon, but at the same time, she wouldn't forgive herself if Nags ended up getting hurt.

"Please, Astrid, I don't want to pull your tribe in if things go wrong. If I can persuade the people, Carron doesn't stand a chance. One person can't fight him, but a whole village? Now, there's trouble."

Astrid nodded. "Okay, we'll do it your way. I think I trust you."

Nags grinned, then stood up slowly and walked across to where Jax was leaning against the wall, one hand over his eyes. "Jax, let me out."

"No!" He sounded tearful. "Not if you're gonna get yourself killed."

"So, you'd rather I rotted away in here then? Or would you rather give your village, your family, a fighting chance against a tyrant? I'm that chance, and I won't forgive you if you don't let me out."

Jax sighed slowly. "Promise you'll come back alive?"

"Hah! If that's what you wanna believe. I'll try, but I can't promise."

"It's good enough for me" He nodded soberly, taking the keys from his belt and unlocking the door. He did the same for Hiccup as the others pushed through the metal barred gate and headed for the light of the entrance. Only Astrid and Valka held back to reunite with their chief.

Nags gulped as she surveyed the scene below. The whole village had turned out to hear what Carron had to say. Evidently, news of Gramps' death had spread like wildfire and the people wanted to know why he was killed. She strained to catch what he was saying while the twins squabbled behind her.

"The man was helpless!" Carron was shouting. "His daughter was a traitor, harbouring fugitives that seek to destroy our humble village and take it for their own! She murdered him with her own two hands as we stood watching because he stood in her way. We tried to stop her, but she was mad, evil, unstoppable-"

"LIES!" Nags roared. She looked down the end of her nose at Carron, snorted, and began stamping her way down the ramp. The hum of conversation during the leader's speech had turned to the hushed whisper of obscene gossip. Nags strode down the ramp without fear, without anger, without emotion. The eyes of the entire village were on her, and yet she didn't seem in the least bit shy. Level with Carron, she turned, met his murderous gaze, and took a breath.

"You're lying."

"Really? Am I? Then why do you have blood all over your hands and knees?"

"Because I'm the only one who gave a damn when he died! I'm the only one who gave him a kind word as you thrust the dagger through his heart! Don't bother saying it was Jax, you forced his hand, quite literally!"

Carron simply laughed. "Come now, are you really going to believe her word over mine?"

"Why shouldn't they? You'll only press more of your lies onto them. Perhaps you should check his cellar. He hoards all the best food and leaves you to scrabble for the scraps. Check his home. He hoards all the precious weapons to sell on to make gold. Check his chests, they're overflowing with his ill-gotten-gains."

Carron looked furious already. He really didn't have a very good temper. "You're the one who's lying!"

"Would a man with a clean conscience adopt that tone with a prisoner? Not unless he knew it was all true."

"Silence!" He screamed.

"You can silence me, but you can't put out the spark I've ignited. And, d'you know what? You're the only one to blame for your downfall."

"Kill her!" He motioned to his guards, who began to advance towards her. However, the town's people stopped them. They wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Whatever he told you about traitors is untrue. They're townsfolk come to rescue their chief, who, if you'll remember, offered to help us. They aren't here to hurt us, they're here for one of their own."

.

The people spread out before her nodded and muttered.

"But why did they set fire to your house?"

"Set fire to my...? Oh, no! You burnt down my house too? Now, all of you, don't be dumb! The dragon riders were in the cells with me the whole time!"

"One of them got out! We saw them!"

"What you saw was what that mad man wanted you to see. Ask the guard on duty or Jax. None of us have left the cells since we were imprisoned."

"It's true!" Jax appeared at her side, his hands shaking wildly, his skin pale at the thought of all those eyes staring at him. He stammered and stuttered as Carron's gaze locked onto him. Fury burned through the tyrant's whole body. He snatched up a crossbow from one of his men and fired a shot.

_Who did he hit? Find out next chapter!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Next chapter! Sorry about the wait with this one, what with presents and Christmas and all, I didn't have the time to upload it. However, the next chapter will be the last, so I will be able to finish this story soon. Then, It should be back to The Runaway again (If I can stop watching Avatar for long enough). Yay!_

_GuardianDragon98: Eret will appear for a short time, yes (it's almost too good not to put him in!) However, whether he stays or not is a question yet to be answered._

_Banshee1968: Yeah, me too! It's about time!_

_Jesusfreak: ;-)_

_Dracologistmaster: Thanks! Sorry it took so long._

"Come on, guys!" Astrid hissed as Nags strode away. "We need to get our dragons!"

The four Berkians nodded, but their chief bit his lip. "They captured Toothless. I don't know where he is..."

"Come with us then. We'll need you. Toothless will be fine."

"How did they capture a Night Fury? How come he hasn't broken free yet? Chains can't hold him, I'm sure!" Valka stroked her chin, her eyebrow raised. She sounded almost furious.

"My theory is that they're using the same drug they used to knock him out to keep him under control. Poor Toothless..." Hiccup sighed. "I have to get him out, somehow..."

The black veil was lifting again. Toothless opened his drowsy eyes, trying to focus on the blur that was the outside world. He felt awfully sick, so much so that he choked up what little stomach contents he had left, baring his teeth at the sour, burning liquid. The Night Fury whined unhappily and shuffled away from the acidic pool. All he could smell was damp and decay, no sign of food anywhere, though it was not as though he felt like eating anyway. Slowly, the outside was coming into focus, though it dipped and blurred and span around him. He reached out a weak paw and scratched at the rock before him. Somehow, the dragon manage to pull himself into a position more comfortable than the ungainly sprawl he had been left in by that awful human. Maybe they wouldn't come with more forced-sleep this time. Maybe he would have time to regain his senses and to find Hiccup. But, for now, he lay helpless as the world danced around him.

Astrid led the group across the top of the gorge to a safe, wide open landing space. "Okay, everyone, time to call our dragons. The quicker we get down there and put our word in, the faster this will be over and Carron will be gone."

"Who knows? Maybe Nags will make a good business partner!" Hiccup mused jokingly, smiling to everyone. Astrid lifted her fingers to her lips and let out a long, sharp whistle. The others also gave their own dragon's calls, hoping their friends would come to their aid. A few seconds of silence was broken only by the rustling of the snow-laden pines and the soft puff of heavy white snow falling from the drooping boughs.

Suddenly, there was a sharp squawk, followed by the rush of wings as Stormfly led all the other dragons into the clearing to meet their riders. In came the Nadder, and Barf and Belch. Cloudjumper, the magnificent four-winged Stormcutter, brought up the rear with a great warble as he landed beside his rider. The twins patted the respective heads of their shared dragon, happy to see them once again.

"Alright then, gang," Hiccup announced. "Back to the town. Let's help out our friend!"

The bolt slammed into flesh with a dull smack. A cry echoed across the square. Jax was in shock as his friend staggered back, having pushed him back to protect him. The bolt jutted out of her shoulder, ugly and wrong, as she fell back against him. He lowered her to the ground.

"You see?" She wailed, "He fired on a defenceless innocent! He's evil, and there's your proof!"

"Shut up!" Carron roared, "Why won't you just die?! This is my town, these are my people! It's MINE!"

Jax kept his arms wrapped tightly around Nags, shaking from head to toe. He was losing her, he was sure of it. Her breath rattled, her body shook. He couldn't face losing her too. He had to do something.

"They don't belong to you! They aren't animals going for slaughter! You should be working for them, not the other way around! That's how it works, Carron. The chief taught us that before he died." Jax bared his teeth threateningly as the man stepped down from his podium, crossbow trained on the pair huddled together on the walkway.

"One person can't fight him..." Nags croaked, as loudly as she could. Jax echoed her words to the people gathered around him. "but many can..." Her weak voice was wracked with pain, breathing heavy as she tried to relieve it. Her shoulder was ruined, the bolt tearing straight through flesh and bone.

Slowly, the people began to mutter and growl. They reached out and snatched Carron's arms, holding him back, trying to restrain him until he fired another bolt and narrowly missed a little girl clinging to her mother's leg. He advanced again, but people were closing in around him, angry faces pressing in, arms snatching and grabbing. He gave a scream of rage, swinging out with a fist, but someone grabbed his arm and twisted until it snapped with a sickening crack. The man cried out, clasping his ruined limb.

"Anyone need a hand?" The shout turned every face to the sky, to where a flight of dragons was descending onto them. One of them, a magnificent beast with four great, wide wings, hovered above the heads of the crowd. His rider pointed, and Cloudjumper plucked Carron delicately from the mass of people, pulled him high above their heads, and dumped him atop a roof with a screech.

"Nags! Jax!" Astrid called out as she caught sight of them, directing Stormfly so that she landed right beside them. She slid off and knelt beside them. Nags sat up to meet her, despite her pain, and Astrid quickly took a look at her injured shoulder.

"You'll be fine, but that needs work right now." She muttered then looked around and grinned. "Great work, you two! That was amazing!" Hiccup chucked a roll of bandage down into Astrid's waiting arms. She set to work putting pressure on the wound.

"And Jax overcame his fear of Carron!" Nags chattered excitedly, despite the pain. Hiccup smiled at the young man, but he remained pale and fearful, pulling away from his friend and standing.

"Hey, c'mon, it's okay!" Hiccup chuckled as he too slid from the dragon's back. "If it's Stormfly you're afraid of, don't be. She's trained and she's clever enough to know friend from foe."

"O-okay..." Jax breathed. The dragon turned to look at them curiously, and Nags giggled, reaching out to stroke her nose. Hiccup took Jax's hand and placed it upon her snout too, and as soon as the dragon was under his fingers, he seemed to visibly relax.

"I g-guess dragons aren't so bad after all..."

"Hey! Get your ugly beast off me!" Carron's shout could be heard all over the square. everyone turned to look as Cloudjumper snarled and took the man from under his claws, tossed him five feet in the air and then snatched him back and placed him again under his talons like a bird of prey with a kill.

Nags stood and held her good arm out wide. "The reign of this tyrant is over. No more will he rule over us with his unfair laws. From now on, I will carry on my father's dynasty. You are all... free..." She suddenly turned quite pale, everything blurring around her. Blood was beginning to seep out from under her bandages. A scowl came over her face as though she couldn't quite work out what was going on, before she tumbled backwards into Jax's waiting arms.

He swept her up easily as the people gave a gasp. "And I'm gonna help her." He told them, then beckoned for the dragon riders to follow him as he pushed his way through the crowd and towards a grand building nearby.

Toothless gave a frightened yowl. He was sick and helpless and alone, begging for someone to come and speak to him. He missed his rider and his home, his friends and his food that he didn't want to eat. He could barely manage to stand, but when he took a step, he crashed down again. As soon as he was better, he was going to break out of here and find Hiccup, and then he was going to punish that awful man who had hurt him. He gave another roar, but nobody heard him. He was still alone.


	11. Chapter 11

_The battle is over, but there are still a few things that need clearing up. Where's Toothless? How is Nags doing? Find out now! _

_Hiccupisnotuseless: you're about to find out how everyone got on! Thanks for your kind words._

_dracologistmaster: look no further! Enjoy!_

The mound rose tall on the hillside, and yet, it felt too small to hold the character, the bravery and wonder of the one inside it. A carpet of soft, pink flowers danced in the breeze atop it and a couple of small, fluttering birds twittered and sang in the air above it. A salty breeze blew across the high ground, bringing the tang of the water with it. Nags let her head fall to her chest, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, she could be alone with Gramps.

She wanted to talk to him, to tell him what she and her boyfriend had done, to show him how she had fulfilled her destiny. She wanted to hug him one last time, to ask for his help, but she knew it was impossible. Her grandfather was gone. There was nothing to do now but submit to her mourning. Only then could she begin to heal the terrible wound that Carron's knife had torn within her, that awful pain throbbing in her heart.

"Hey, Nags?" She turned around. She had heard Jax's footsteps coming towards her but for the first time she didn't feel remotely embarrassed.

"Hey..."

"I thought I might find you up here." He smiled as he approached. She hadn't passed out for long. In fact, her friends were still down there, sorting the village out, doing repairs and other boring stuff. She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes.

"It's not big enough." She whispered. Jax laughed as he sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.

"Somehow, I thought you'd say that." Jax gave her shoulder a squeeze (The good one, luckily, she thought to herself), then gazed out across the ocean. "I'm sorry it had to end like this. His life, I mean."

Nags took a shaky breath and nodded. "He was all I had left. Mum left after my little brother was murdered, my sister went off to fight for Drago and then father copped it... Gramps was really the only sane one of us."

"And he wasn't all that sane, eh?"

"Usually, I'd bash you for a comment like that, but luckily, I like you too much." She scowled threateningly. "No, that was all a front. He put it on to protect me, so that I could become chief, like he always thought I should be. So he acted like a mad man so that, when Dad died, it would be me who succeeded him. Didn't work, did it?" She sighed gently, looking out to sea.

"I thought I knew you. Now... I'm not so sure." Jax shrugged.

"Yeah? Does it matter?" Nags folded her arms.

"Of course it doesn't. I like you better like this. You're more... open, I guess. At least you'll tell me how you feel now."

Nags remained silent for a while, her gaze traveling down towards the town, to where the entirety of the residents had turned out to make repairs. The Berkian's dragons were hard at work lifting and carrying and transporting. The whole operation was a lot more organized than it had been when they had just started. Nags hadn't been able to concentrate on organization with the weight of past events stifling her. She quickly made the decision to hand over responsibility to Hiccup.

Now, she was up here. She thought being alone might help, or seeing her Gramps' grave, but really, Jax was the only reason she could think straight again. She sighed.

"Thanks for the chat. I think the town needs me now." As she got up, a thought struck her, and she let out a surprised cry, unable to fathom how she had missed such a huge point.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Jax panicked, thinking she was still suffering from her wound.

"The dragon! His dragon! The black one, it's still in the dragon-hold under the prisons! Hiccup needs his dragon back!" With that, she started off down the hill at an alarming pace, Jax following on behind.

Toothless growled again. Still, no-one came for him. He couldn't understand how it was taking his rider so long to reach him. Surely, Hiccup should be here by now? He pawed at his eyes to make sure he wasn't asleep and then shook his head to clear it. Hiccup or not, he was getting out if here.

With a scream of rage, he flung himself against the feeble metal bars. They buckled, but refused to let him through, so he tried again. Still nothing. Toothless gazed longingly out into the labyrinth beyond, listening carefully to a hurried patter that was making itself clear in the still air. He could hear shouts from voices he didn't recognise and the clatter of cage bars as whoever it was checked every cage before his. His heart gave a flutter. The great, black dragon leapt up onto the dented bars in his excitement; roared as loudly as he could, so that he felt it through the earth and listened to it rattling off the walls beyond him.

"Hey! Quiet down, we can hear you!" He heard a voice hush him. They may hear him, he thought, but they didn't fear him. He didn't want any more forced-sleep. It made him sick. Deep in his gut, a furnace was burning. It made his tongue tingle and his paws shake with it's empowering fire. His tail swished as he watched a figure stumble into range. The dragon growled, hungry for revenge on those who had hurt him and his master.

"Whoa, whoa! Don't shoot, you idiot! I'm on your side!" Nags yelled, her good arm held above her head. "I'm here to get you for Hiccup!"

Toothless grunted at the sound of his rider's name. This girl was a friend of Hiccup's? He looked closer. In fact, he did recognise her. She was the one who had tried to stop the men who shot him the first time.

"Come on! Jump down so I can unlock the door! The black dragon slid back onto the floor, yowling. He missed his master greatly. Toothless paced impatiently as Nags fumbled with the lock on the door and dragged the ruined iron out of the way. She took hold of the leather strap at his shoulder and carefully led him out of his prison.

"Go help with the roof over there," Hiccup instructed the group of sparky, blonde-haired youths. Brothers and sisters, they were hindering more than helping the adults who were ferrying supplies between houses and sheds, preparing for the next wave of storms to hit. They were massing in a circle of large buildings in the centre of town: five in all, all of them large eating houses with great, blackened hearths in the centre and plenty of room for the entire village and all their food. One was even being put aside for the animals, who were beginning to arrive from the hill pastures. Compacted snow and ice covered the streets, making them treacherous to walk over, which was why Astrid had led the dragon riders off on an ice-clearing mission. They swooped overhead, fire streaming from their maws, clearing the frozen deposits and making it safe once again.

Hiccup looked up. He watched as Cloudjumper and his mother went racing by and the twins bickered in mid-air. He could almost hear the cries of his own dragon up there, somewhere, calling for him to jump on and fly off. In fact, as he listened, it became louder. He squinted into the air. He missed Toothless a lot, but enough to make him go quite this mad? He rubbed his head and looked away, but it came again: Toothless was calling for him. He closed his eyes. There was a certain pain in his head that was making him feel dizzy.

Hiccup heard a screech: definitely not Toothless. When he looked up, he found Stormfly descending towards him. Good; Astrid was here. The chief felt like he needed her presence right now.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" She asked, sliding off Stormfly's back.

"No, I'm not. I don't know why, but I keep hearing Toothless. I don't feel well, Astrid: I wanna go home."

"Okay. You know what? I have something I think might make you feel better. Come on, come with me!" Hiccup let her take hold of his arm and help him jump up onto her dragon's back. He watched the ground fall away below him as Stormfly beat up into the air above the houses and put a hand on Astrid's shoulder for comfort as they gained altitude.

All of a sudden, something caught his eye. What kind of animal was that? He peered down at the shape emerging from the caves under the cells, led by someone who had to be Nags. A little flutter ran through his chest. It couldn't be, could it? Astrid giggled, and when he looked up, he found her looking back at him.

"Feel better yet?" She asked joyfully.

A grin spread across his face, and he breathed a single word: "Toothless..." As Stormfly dipped closer, the breath became a shout. "Toothless!" Hiccup jumped off the cyan Nadder's back, hitting the ground with a clunk of his metal leg and crying out again: "Toothless!"

The Night Fury responded with a howl, pulling away from the girl who was leading him and breaking into the fastest gallop of his life. At the other end of the street, Hiccup sprinted as fast as his leg would allow towards the dragon he had been missing more than anything else in the world. The great, black beast kicked up water and ice and muck, for this was a street that had not yet been cleared by dragons, and that was why at the point Hiccup began to slow down, he found that he couldn't stop, and instead, the chief slipped and slid and tumbled into the waiting pounce of his dragon.

Toothless pinned him to the floor as though he might just carry on running and pressed his hard chin into the man's chest. His tongue smothered his rider's face like it had a mind of it's own, and the chief just didn't care anymore. The rising joy in his chest made him feel almost like he was floating, happiness flushing his pale cheeks. He just couldn't stop the bubbles of laughter from escaping his throat. There was nothing better than having his best friend back again.

Toothless was a squirming mess of joyous black hide, like a dog that had been left too long alone. When he finally let his rider stand up, he circled him and jumped up at him so that he fell over again. He had his Hiccup back, and he couldn't be happier.

Hiccup turned to find Nags staring at him, laughing heartily and slapping her stomach. Tears listened on her cheeks: not tears of sadness this time, but tears of joy. The Berkians chief grinned: The girl's happiness had returned.

_One chapter to go! Time for Eret to return!_


	12. Chapter 12

Hiccup was sat, calmly looking out to sea, his dragon curled lazily around him, his ears flashing back and forth lest anyone came to steal his rider again. The chief, on the other hand, was much more calm. He had his hand on Toothless' warm neck and was just quietly thinking to himself about all the things that had happened to him over the past few days.

"We really need to work on how much we trust people, bud. If we hadn't sent for Astrid, we wouldn't be sat here right now."

Toothless lifted his head as another voice spoke. "Maybe, but Nags wouldn't be chief and Carron probably would've destroyed the town fighting that Red Death."

Astrid sat nearby, her dragon following her devoutly.

"And if it hadn't been for all of you guys, I would still be locked up, and so would Toothless."

"Yup!" Tuffnut appeared by his shoulder, followed by his sister.

"We were pretty awesome," Ruffnut chimed cheerfully.

Hiccup looked around at his friends and their dragons, to where his mother and Cloudjumper were descending from above. The chief was filled with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, along with a warm gladness that he had such great companions. He carefully unwound himself from his dragon's embrace, smiling widely, and patted Tuffnut heartily on the shoulder, just like his dad used to do.

"Thank you all. I don't know what I would have done without you, all of you."

"Well, not much, actually." Tuffnut reasoned. "You'd still be locked up."

"He knows that, stupid!" His sister growled, thumping her brother in the arm. Hiccup simply laughed as the two began to bicker between themselves, shooting a look at Astid and his mother, who chuckled.

As the others moved away, Astrid waited and slyly slipped her arms around her boyfriend's waist, staring straight into his emerald eyes. "So, what kind of rewards do we get for our heroic bravery?" She joked.

"What, so my love isn't enough for you?" Hiccup shot back with mock-irritation. Then, he pulled her in close and pressed his lips into her forehead, arms around her shoulders. "I don't know what I would have done without you, Astrid..." He breathed, resting his cheek against her soft hair.

"Well, like Tuffnut said, you'd still be locked up."

"Carron mentioned Drago. He said that's why they were taking down that Red Death." Hiccup gulped as Astrid pushed him back.

"You think he's still out there?" She whispered.

"I know he is. I can feel it. Astrid, I..."

"What can he do, Hiccup? He's got a Bewilderbeast that can't stand up to Toothless, and that's it! He couldn't possibly come back. You need to forget about him."

Hiccup couldn't meet her gaze. "I can't forget him. You know what he did"

Astrid took her boyfriend by the shoulders and gave him a stern look. "He's not coming back, you made sure of it."

"I guess you're right..."

"Of course I'm right. I always am. Now stop worrying: You'll upset the dragons." She smiled, and finally, the chief relaxed. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and whispered:

"I love you, Astrid."

"I love you too..."

Eret scowled as he and Skullcrusher flew overhead. The Rumblehorn look around curiously, taking deep lungfuls of the exciting scents below: fish, people, animals, and his dragon friends, preparing to leave. As Eret looked down, he found he could see all of his friends saying goodbye to the girl in charge of the village. He recognised her long, red hair almost instantly.

"Nags..." With a gentle dig of his heels, he spurred his dragon on towards the ground. He could see her looking up: her and a fair-haired boy who he couldn't quite make out. Hiccup waved and turned to say something to Nags. In return, she landed a deft punch in his arm. Yep, same old Nags.

Eret jumped off as Skullcrusher landed. "Hiccup!" He called, approaching his chief, "You called for me?"

"Yes, actually. I think a couple of people here wish to meet you." Hiccup replied with a grin. He swung himself up on Toothless. "We're gonna do a fly around, see if we can spot where Carron got to, then we'll head back to Berk if we don't see him. Have fun!" He laughed as a smile lit up Eret's face and urged Toothless into the air. His mother, girlfriend and two friends followed on, all chatting away jovially, leaving only three people standing alone in the central square.

"Nags..." Eret began sheepishly, but he was cut off as she ran forward and threw her arms around him. "Nags? Wow, things really must have chang-" He began to speak again, but before he could say anything else, a sharp smack in the arm ripped the words from his lips. "Ow! Nope, definitely no changes here!"

"Where have you been? Why didn't you come back?" She snarled, fire in her eyes. "Things went to the dogs after you left. Chief died, Carron took over and mucked everything up! If you were here, none of that would have happened!" She felt the heat flush her cheeks, tears pricking her eyes again.

"It's not my fault, Nags!" Eret replied angrily. "Once you're working for Drago, there's no going back. I didn't come back because if I didn't bring him his dragons, he would have killed me."

"Hah! Nice boss you chose for yourself!" Nags retorted. She folds Her arms, but Eret could see that she was beginning, at least, to calm down. "And you couldn't have asked for our help? We could've done something!"

"Nags, stop it!" The fair-haired boy grabbed her shoulder. "You're being unreasonable."

"He's unreasonable," the young girl pouted, but she knew he was right. Eret watched the change in her face, from angry to ashamed to just plain sad. Something had happened while he was away, something more than her father's death. Something more recent. He remembered her acting like this after she lost her little brother and her mum.

"Where's Gramps?" He asked quietly. Nags groaned miserably, and the boy pulled her closer.

"He... didn't make it," The fair-haired lad replied sadly, running a hand through her hair.

Nags gasped, promptly hurrying away, as though she'd forgotten something. Eret was left, speechless and alone, with the boy. For a while, they stood in silence, and Eret was left to try and work out who he was. He was looking up at the sky when all of a sudden, it clicked.

"Jax? You're Jax, right?"

Jax nodded with a smile.

"Whoa, you've grown up so much I hardly recognise you! Wait, weren't you friends with Carron?"

"Ha, friends? I believe the relationship you describe with your boss about sums up our 'friendship'"

Eret nodded. "So, you and her, you're... a thing now, are you?"

"As of yesterday, yes," Jax nodded. He gave a short laugh; it seemed so silly. Eret was beginning to like him more and more.

"Well, good luck with that," The older man chuckled. "She can be a real-"

"A real what?" All of a sudden, Nags appeared behind him, arms around his throat, tackling him to the ground. Jax laughed as the pair tumbled into the wet earth, scuffling like children. Nags was the first to sit up, and Eret quickly realised she had something in her hand. She thrust it into his palm. "Gramps... He would've wanted you to have it."

Eret took the item, turning it over in his hands so that the sunlight glinted off it's bronzed hilt. Never had he believed he could hold an object of such beauty in the palm of his hand.

"The chief's dagger! Nags, I can't have this, it's a relic!"

"Well, I'm the chief, so I choose what happens to my dagger, and since you're not staying, I want you to have it."

"Who says I'm not staying?" Eret cocked an eyebrow. Nags sighed.

"Hiccup needs you on Berk more than we need you here. Anyway, you can always come and visit. You'll enjoy it more there, I'm sure"

Eret couldn't deny it - he did enjoy Berk more than this stuffy old place. There was much more excitement and fun and the races were exhilarating. He also knew he'd miss all the dragons and all his new friends. He nodded: if Nags wanted him to go, then he would.

"Promise me you'll ask us for help if you need it." He implored. Nags nodded and smiled.

"I will if you promise me you'll come back to visit."

Eret nodded and gave his friends each a last hug, and then he jumped up into Skullcrusher's saddle and waved. "Take care!" He called as they took off, "And watch out for her, Jax: She's feisty!"

Jax laughed as Nags gave a joking, indignant snort and replied, "Don't worry: I wouldn't have her any other way!"

_Finis! _

_How to Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2 and all characters (except those mentioned) are copyright of DreamWorks animation and Cressida Cowell_

_Nags, Jax, Gramps, Carron, settings and events are copyright of Dissidia180 (2014-15) on Fanfiction_


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